(Credit: Imago)

Jacob Raw

Tue 31 March 2026 21:37, UK

Leeds United and Daniel Farke will be happy to learn that Ethan Ampadu was limited to 19 minutes in Wales’ 1-1 draw with Northern Ireland on Tuesday.

The Welshman played 120 minutes in his nation’s devastating penalty shootout loss to Bosnia last week, but Craig Bellamy decided to give the Leeds star a fair rest this time round.

There have also been injury concerns over Dan James, who also started on the bench for his country against Northern Ireland, but the winger was introduced at halftime.

Bellamy admitted before the game that he was going to make a last-minute call on James due to fitness issues, but both he and Ampadu look to have come through the double header unscathed.

Ampadu will now return to Leeds, as Farke prepares the Whites for a crucial season run-in.

Ethan Ampadu should be fine to play West Ham now

Joe Rodon and Karl Darlow both started the match, and look primed to come back into Farke’s starting eleven straight away.

The Whites’ first game back after the break is a Quarter-final FA Cup clash against West Ham this Sunday at the London Stadium.

Farke will have to decide who he wants to play with seven Premier League games remaining, with all of them arguably more important than the FA Cup game.

Either way, he will have Ampadu available, who is easily the most important player of Leeds’ Welsh contingent, as any injury to him would have been quite simply detrimental.

Ampadu was impressive against Bosnia, and with his benching against Northern Ireland, it would be no surprise to see Farke start him at the weekend.

What has Daniel Farke still asked of Ampadu recently?

Ampadu is most likely in the running to win Leeds’ Player of the Season award, especially if he helps keep the Whites up.

There were questions asked of the midfielder when the Whites were promoted last season, and if he was going to be able to make the step up.

Though he’s clearly one of Leeds’ best players, Farke still wants the Welshman to improve his passing ability.

Farke said, as quoted by Inside Futbol earlier this season: “Top, top character. Hard worker. Very skilful, always on the way to improve.

“Still, there are a few topics consistently to complain about, with unnecessary yellow cards or sometimes always one or two passes in the game where he is not 100 per cent concentrated and focused. I think there is even more to come.”

The fact that the German head coach still thinks Ampadu is far from the finished article is a scary prospect, in a good way, and it’s great to see him heading back to Thorp Arch fit.